I called DCFS for help for my son. Spoke to her every single day for a month, BEGGING for help. She ghosted me and then I got a phone call from this place. "The HELP Group" who had supposedly been referred to me by her. Welll they not only did NOT help, THEY ARE PARTIALLY THE CAUSE OF ME NOW HAVING TO FIGHT AN EVICTION because of their incompetence!!!!!!!!! WHAT A WASTE OF TIME THANK YOU FOR NOTHING!!!!!!!! read more

Very awful and sad place to work. Demoralizing. Admins have 2 faces, one for parents and one for everyone else.

Beautiful school; I really miss that place, and I want to go back there forever to see all of my friends; as well as the big and little kids nowadays! read more

My son has been a student at THG Sunrise campus since 2011. He will graduate on his birthday June 9th at the age of 22. My sons LOVES school and looks forward to going everyday. This is a bittersweet moment for both of us. Each of his teachers were qualified with teacher's credentials including Masters Degrees! I stressed academics are very important. So, the teacher sometimes per my request sent home extra work. He was diagnosed as non verbal, moderate Autism with behavioral problems. My son has learned so much. He's great on the computer, he reads and even speaks more. I don't know about turnover rates. The admin and other staff treated me great. They all know I'm a lioness who loves her cub. I must say, you should not rely 100% on the school, you must participate in educating your children. It doesn't matter what school they attend. I learned a lot about my son during Covid and the Zoom classes. If your child isn't doing well, ask yourself what could YOU do to make it better. I am going to miss everyone from the Help Group. read more

Has anyone had issues with getting a response regarding enrollment? It's been a months since I submitted an application and still no call or emails or text and I left a voice message. Is this a sign I should look into? read more

All the little kids at their preschool are so adorable and cute, I love to hang out with my friends above my age, at my age and below my age. I even do community service and go on a lot of field trips, too! read more

Children's of Heaven... The Help group is a unique educational and therapeutic with different school programs that addresses the educational needs of students with emotional and behavioral disabilities. read more

The Help Group - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Sherman Oaks, California

My child has been seeing a Help Group therapist for several months. My child was promised confidentiality and given no warning that some things would be reported to the police. My child was manipulated into talking about activity that is illegal. Nobody was hurt. No property damaged. Definitely a situation requiring some skilled counseling. Given this opportunity to help in a delicate situation that required insight and carefully considered counseling, that is if you put the children's well being first, The Help Group decided to call a lawyer and then called the police. Of course they point at the law being broken and claim they had no choice but to report it. The therapist suspected before the confession and could have counseled without pressuring for the confession and creating the need to call the police but that would have required a degree of caring and skill that was not there. A man in uniform with a gun strapped to his side came to our home to question our child because of The Help Group's tender care. I know of no place better than the school my child attends for educational needs. But his counseling needs? I expected more from people that specialize in children with special needs. It seems that all schools must cover their legal ass first and take care of our children second these days. This the fault of parents who like The Help Group call lawyers first. When your child has special needs it's difficult to find good services and the fear of losing the good by pointing out the bad is always looming for parents in this situation. Perhaps this fear is why their are so few reviews by parents to help us decide. Consider carefully before handing your child over to The Help Group. Make sure your child is fully informed and understands what can happen if they choose to seek help or trust The Help Group. Do you think my child would have confessed if informed that the police would be called? My child gave his trust and is now heart broken. His trust destroyed by The Help Groups promised confidentiality now betrayed. Of course if the first thing you would do when your child needs help is call a lawyer. The second thing to call the police. Then The Help Group is there for you. read more

This place seems to have everything under control. They have programs for all ages . They have a school , classes early head start , after school program and outpatient services. I just enrolled my daughter to the stepping stone program. It seem like a good program. They teach kids about sharing , fine motor skills , dealing with there feelings and tanturms . The teacher and staff are friendly and really well prepared. They have so much experience with kids . Im trying my hardest to enroll my second child here . In there school . They do need a referral and an iep . To enroll to the school . If your child has any disabilities of learn or social. You should consider this facility. They have therpist and psychiatrist etc. Everything your child will need to feel better. read more

See all

First of this school could have potential if and only if it had accredited, responsible and educated teachers and staff who actually work to better your child's abilities. Parents please do a lot of research before you place your child into this facility. If you need a babysitting place where you can just drop your child off and see zero progress in their growth then this would be a perfect place. If you are looking to actually have knowledgeable educators work with your child and see progress in their cognitive, social and physical growth please find a more suitable place then The Help Group. read more

Worst Private School For Our Autistic Kids. All They Care About Is The Money...Not Our Kids. Pamela Clarke Is The Worst Person To Run The Early Ed Department. She's doesn't know how to keep her good teachers or staff. My son is in 3rd grade and hasn't had a teacher since Pre-school. All the teachers leave. Pamela Clarke can't seem to find new teachers. She doesn't know what the heck she's doing. Allowing kids to be mixed in classrooms that make it unsafe. My child was hurt and continued to be in harms way, and Pamela didn't seem to care. I had to finally pull my son out of his classroom. They need to make some major changes because that school is getting a bad reputation. So Very Sad For Our Kids....They Are The Ones That Suffer.......... :( read more

Let me begin by stating that YELP is typically a place for people to post all of their dislikes in hopes of being heard because they want everyone to know their feelings. Hence, there are only a few reviews for THG. Secondly, if your child truly has Autism and is not on the "Spectrum," or as Jenny McCarthy would put it (can be cured by a change in diet - LOL), maybe your child doesn't belong here. All of their campuses cater to various levels of a child's function. You will have to do some footwork and investigate which you believe is best. K-12 That's a broad spectrum for many years! Show me a comparable program. Let me qualify my position. My son is 22 years old and he actually has TRUE AUTISM (non-verbal & low-functioning) and is not on the "Spectrum." In other words, he can't read, write, or drive a car or work for that matter, nor will he have a family of his own one day). So if in fact your child is a "Spectrum Child," maybe your child doesn't belong in such an intense, highly organized and structured program of experts. Oh I forgot to mention, my son has been attending THG for 10 years so I assume I am qualified to give a pretty significant YELP review of THG that comes with facts and tenure vs. those that are an emotional mess because of their child's diagnosis. Employee Turnover? Really? Did I just read that there is too much turnover? My son's principal of Sunrise has been there almost 20 years, his teacher(s) and aides probably 10 years including the speech therapist(s). FURTHERMORE, I would like to see the YELPer that is complaining about "turnover." Maybe that person should have the job of a teacher, director, principal or therapist of special education!!!!!! It really blows my mind when I read YELP reviews that literally have no facts whatsoever instead its complete bashing because someone is angry. Go find a program that is PERFECT for your child instead of complaining about a program that doesn't work for your child. These children/young adults are all extremely different! Imagine the job these people have day in and day out!!!! What they get paid is their business and if they choose to work there,that is their choice and passion! No need to post it on YELP about them being underpaid, you don't know! Lastly, as for PRIVATE SCHOOL! THG is a Private School! Who cares if it is funded by Pasadena Unified, Los Angeles Unified, or Oak Park Unified - whatever Unified! Go look at the public school system special ed program!!!!! Prove to everyone a Public Education is better! Again, THG may not be for your child so place your child in a public program and hope for the best! And, if you are getting funded by a public school district, you should be grateful! In closing, the school administration doesn't need to be on your side! This isn't a boxing match! That is not their JOB. Their job is to support "what is in the best interest of EACH and EVERY individual child." To all the spineless parents of children with Autism, welcome to the Journey, this plane ride isn't landing anytime soon! It's time for you all to be strong for your children and embrace the people that give advice and incorporate it into what you believe is crucial to your child and the outcome of the two should be amazing. Stop the blame game. Save your money and leave your lawyers at the office. Step up and do "whats in the best interest of your child." 22 Years Old Comes Quickly! Then what? None of these people will be on your side. You will really have a battle then. THG and their entire staff including their top executives have done an amazing job and they truly love their clients (our children). The are not adding buildings and expanding their campus because they don't know what their doing. They are raising money each and every day to better their program for all of the future children being born into the world of Autism. Good luck! read more

We visited this place for our grandson's graduation today. The teachers loved the students but the students loved the teachers; you can't fake that! For those kids that need the extra attention, this seemed like a great environment for challenged students. read more

I'm a parent and my child (w/autism) attended Help Group. Some of the people on staff were terrific, and some were not. It all comes down to the teacher and the aides in the classroom, really. If you have a child with significant behavioral issues, as I do, they do not want your child. It probably won't work out. I would recommend looking elsewhere, which is what we did, and our son is at Villa Esperanza in Pasadena, which is a much more structured program and was a better fit for him. read more

My son is a student in their Bridgeport school and it has been wonderful. The curriculum is geared towards him, he's given social support and feels a part of a community. He's thriving. read more

I was diagnosed with aspbergers syndrom when i was 17,back in 2000,the help group really understood my needs and frustrations and helped me greatly,i look back and have very fond memories of going to village glenn bridgeport and i miss alot of the people there including friends i made,and i can definitely suggest going to highschool here !! Thank u all who helped me u know who u are. read more

As a former student at The Help Group, the Curriculum and teaching staff is questionable for those who have higher-functioning Autism. My own experience at a school within The Help Group involved changes in teaching staff every school year, where teachers' high turnover affected the learning experience for students. Unfortunately, these frequent teaching changes have resulted in Teaching Assistants/Aides replacing vacant positions where most are not qualified as an appropriate substitute on par with a credentialed teacher. The Curriculum was also problematic as the class material was relatively basic and not on par for preparing those who want to attend college. The class lab was very basic and not sufficient for advanced experiments. The lack of extracurricular activities and an adequate number of Honors/AP courses hindered students from attending popular universities in California since they lack a strong college application that students in public schools can obtain. On a positive note, the range of therapy services offered through an IEP was exceptional compared to public schools. I think the learning experience for students for high-functioning Autism at The Help Group needs improvement to help students be prepared for college. I believe by focusing on job satisfaction and educational opportunities for teachers and teaching assistants, the Help Group, can retain talent and committed teaching staff to ensure all students have the opportunities to deserving a great future through upward social mobility. read more

My son is in his 3rd year at the Help Group. He is classified as moderate to severely autistic. I stumbled upon this Yelp page and was really surprised that not many parents have written. Positive or negative - we need to be out loud about what works and doesn't work for our ASD kids so that other parents coming into this diagnosis after us will have some of their research done! We love going to the Help Group and feel extremely privileged to be able to go here. We have been fortunate with great teachers. It is just like any school in the sense that some teachers are better than others BUT most are in the better category. Things that I like about the Help Group? All of the staff know all of the kids. No matter whose class you are in- the other teachers and even the folks working in back offices all know the kids names,etc. Also, we have always had a small class size and I feel totally safe knowing that someone is always within eyesight of my son at all times. We get detailed reports from the teacher every day in a communication book which is really amazing and helps facilitate communication with our sons teacher. I disagree with a previous post that said "if you have a child with significant behavior "they dont want your child" My son kicked and screamed most of the day every day for a few MONTHS when he started. I thought we would get kicked out. I was sure they would give up. But they didn't. They pulled out all of the stops and did everything they could to make it work and it finally did. Now when teachers see him in the halls they have to smile because they can remember when my son was not so calmly enjoying school! I don't love the parking/pick up situation (tiny parking spaces) but not enough to lose a star over. The people that will be looking at the Help Group for their kids are likely not going to choose their school because of parking anyways! We feel fortunate to have found a perfect place for our child. We feel very supported at the Help Group and recommend it to anyone looking with an ASD child. read more

This school helped me become more independent. The teachers were really nice to me and taught me a lot. Dr. Crasnow cared about my success. I'm glad I went there and think it's a great place to go to school. The classes were really informative. Music class was so fun. The cab drivers really cared about my safety on the way to school. Mr. Holder taught me so much about being independent. read more

There are no certified teacher specialist at this location. The school has a high turnover rate for instructional aides that they are likely inexperienced and learn as they go. The school is understaffed and classes are filled with students; it can make for a 3:1 ratio (that includes the teacher), sometimes the ratio will be 4:1. Because the students are often behavioral and the insufficient amount of staff, there will be incidents involving the children. Students who should have 1:1 don't because there's a lack of staff. OT and Speech are combined with about five students so they don't get as much attention as they should. OT and speech are only one hour a week combined. The school does not prioritize resources nor staff despite how many donations they receive. There are a lot of problems with this school. read more

I am a parent of a child with autism who has been attending at the Help Group for 5 years now. My kid started here since preschool. This is a non-profit private school but please do not let the word "private-school" fool you. Keep in mind even though it is a private school but 90% (or even more) of the students at this school are from LAUSD and funded by the LAUSD, so in reality this school is run by the school district. The director of the school, teachers, therapist will not be on your side when it comes to IEP meeting, they will do whatever the school district said and do not CARE about your child's interest. They will not hesitate to dis-qualify or reduce the services of your kids even when they know the school district assessment is not accurate or reflect your kids status. The reason for that was Because at the end of the day, who funded for the school, LAUSD.... Do not think that because of "private school" then the teachers or therapist will look out your child interest. Many parents including myself have to hire an attorney to come to IEP meeting fighting for their kids services with the LAUSD and the Director of the school, teacher and therapists to get the services for my kids. Even when the district agree with the services at the end but the school and therapist will try refuse to provide it in order to save money and resources for the Help Group , this happened to my child personally. The model of this school is collaborated model. This means they do not do a 1:1 services with your child such as speech or OT, they will come in class and work in group of 5-6 kids at the same time for 30-45 minutes, one time per week. My child has speech delayed and OT issues, it does not matter if the IEP said your child will get 60 minutes per week, it does not mean they will work with your child 1:1 for 60 minutes per week as stated in the IEP but rather in group 5-6 for 30-45 minutes.(keep that in mind) I do not see how my child can be benefit to work in group of 5-6 other kids with speech delay. It's suppose to be Individualized Education Program (IEP), this is not really the definition of Individualized, isn't it. I wanted to repeat again, EVEN your child IEP said "full out" method 1:1 and the school say that they will do it, but I highly doubt that they will do it. (In fact, I know that they do not it it). My suggestion is to take all that into consideration when you decided to send your child to the Help Group. No one will fight for our child except you!!! Overall, this is an average school, they are all very friendly. But if you have any issues and wanted the director step in and help you, good luck with that, most likely your issues and problems will go nowhere and most of the time they will be ignored, This happen to many families at this school and parents are pretty upset about this. Nice and beautiful campus but they had become too big and do not really cares much about students. Find some smaller school but they will pay much closer attention to your kid than the Help Group. My kid will not be attending this school next year. read more

My son has been attending school here for approximately 6 years now. I am surprised at the two horrible reviews. This school is an amazing school and has been a great helping him succeed academically, socially and acquiring the skills he needs to hone in the real world. The staff are great and they work hard to make sure the children here are well educated and in a positive environment. read more

Lies, lies, lies. That is what you will get with The Help Group. They claim everything is fine and well and even make up lies about your child's day. If they are non-verbal, you are non the wiser. When you meet with administration they will tell you there is a 3:1 ratio, there are behavioralists on campus, there is occupational and speech therapy, etc. etc. There is more like a 5:1 ratio, behavioralists do nothing, occupational therapy and speech therapy are combined and will only be offered for about an hour per week with ALL the students in the classroom at the same time, so they wont give you the hours your child needs. If you're lucky, your child will get 15 min per week. Art lasts about half the time its supposed to and often the childs work they bring home is often done by the teachers themselves. This place is a facade. Sure, it looks nice. People will say nice things about your child, their day, you, and everything in general, but none of its true. They'll turn right back around and say the exact opposite. Don't trust this place. Look elsewhere if you care about your child. read more